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City, MSU preparing for post-game celebrations

As the Spartan basketball team prepares to face Duke in the Final Four Saturday, city and university officials have been readying for post-game student gatherings. That includes stepped-up communication efforts by Michigan State University and the East Lansing Police Department as well as a strong police presence.

City, MSU preparing for post-game celebrations

Police officers stand in the area known as Cedar Village in East Lansing after Michigan State University’s men’s basketball team defeated Oklahoma Friday. About 500 people gathered to celebrate the win.(Photo: State Journal file photo/Dave Wasinger)Buy Photo

EAST LANSING – As the Spartan basketball team prepares to face Duke in the Final Four Saturday, city and university officials have been readying for post-game student gatherings.

That includes stepped-up communication efforts by Michigan State University and the East Lansing Police Department, as well as a strong police presence.

Last weekend, two gatherings in the Cedar Village area after MSU's wins on Friday and Sunday led to 13 arrests for disorderly conduct but no injuries or serious property damage. About 500 students gathered Friday night, where three arrests were made, and about 750 gathered Sunday, throwing bagels at police and starting at least one minor fire in the street.

While the celebrations were muted compared to past years, social media captured the events as they happened and news coverage from some national outlets made the disturbances seem more widespread.

"The disturbances at Cedar Village last weekend were modest in nature compared to how it was reported," MSU spokesperson Jason Cody said. "But we saw it being labeled as a riot and unfortunately things can be overblown when the images come from somebody's phone."

He said he anticipates several media interviews this weekend to try to control the hype that can come from the negative actions of only a few students.

"It needs to be placed in context in that we have a large student population and what they are seeing is only a small number in terms of behavior."

East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett said the city will be more aggressive in getting information to the media as quickly as possible if there are disturbances.

"Police will provide updates in a timely fashion. But their first priority is ensuring public safety," he said

East Lansing police are also briefing media organizations before the game on Saturday. Officials said in a news release the department will explain what information will be shared if there are disturbances, how timely it will be as well as issue guidelines to media organizations who plan to cover celebrations.

Deputy Police Chief Jeff Murphy said the perception of riotous activity gets fueled by television trucks gathering in the Cedar Village area even before games end.

When crowds gather, Murphy said the vast majority of participants are either there to celebrate or to see what's going on. However, celebrations in East Lansing that become civil disorders "have turned into a phenomenon everyone wants to see. We find they'll say they heard about it, they want to see it, they're just going to watch."

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Lansing State Journal

Ongoing campaign

For the second consecutive weekend, police officers from multiple area agencies will be on hand. Overtime and public works costs for the city regularly run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

"Ideally, East Lansing residents would not be burdened with the price of civil disorder," Murphy said.

Triplett said the city has stepped up its campaign to encourage people to celebrate responsibly, especially through social media.

"We're using all the avenues available to remind people how to celebrate safely," he said, "and to remind them no one is anonymous and there will be serious consequences for engaging in destructive behavior.

"I'm expecting that Spartan fans will celebrate like we've been here before."

The city and university began a joint effort years ago to deal with celebrations by creating a Celebrations Committee.

Committee chair Dennis Martell referred questions to MSU's Cody, who said the committee reviews all celebrations after they happen to see what has worked and what hasn't.

Some believe their message has been working.

James Conwell, president of the Associated Students of Michigan State University, said he feels there have been gains in reaching students with the message that bad behavior is a reflection on the university itself.

He sent a letter to the student body this week urging them to do the right thing.

"Times such as these are meant for celebration," he wrote. "But for too long there have been a small minority that believe taking part in destructive gatherings and burning furniture are a Spartan tradition. They are not."

MSU sophomore Amber Lewis, who lives in the Cedar Village area, said the apartment complex's notoriety for post-game celebrations is such that her local auto insurance representative advised her not to park her car there on game weekends.

Nursing sophomore Rylie Holsinger of Grand Rapids has no plans to head to the Cedar Village area.

"I experienced it once and that was enough," she said, adding she would tell other students that "It's silly to risk something and have something permanent on their record for one basketball game."